Aphelion, a new game by developers DON’T NOD, best known for creating the original Life is Strange and their latest title Lost Records: Blood & Rage, was revealed at the Xbox Games Direct. The trailer showcased their new narrative adventure in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
Why do we love survival stories so much? Is it working against/with mother nature, or do we just love the durability of the human spirit? Aphelion is set in a near-future where Earth is about out of time. Being pitched as an emotional journey (would you expect anything less from DON’T NOD?) that blends exploration and traversal with environmental storytelling and stealth gameplay.
Players take the role of Ariane Montclair as she crash lands on a newly discovered planet, Persephone. The game is actually being made in collaboration with the European Space Agency, which is a nice lil’ touch and hopefully adds to the realism and believability of the planet and situations. Creative Director Florent Guillaume had this to say about it:
“Aphelion is a game we’re very passionate about, something we’re really pushing ourselves creatively on. We’re excited to share more of DON’T NOD’s first human story in space, and to be able to do it in collaboration with the European Space Agency is incredibly exciting and special for us.”
DON’T NOD hopes this provides a more grounded depiction of space exploration. Both Ariane and Thomas, the game’s characters, are ESA astronauts and part of the fictional Hope 01 mission. ESA seems excited about this partnership as well. Nadia Lüders, ESA Partnership & Brand Licensing Officer, had this to say about the collaboration:
“For fifty years, ESA has combined rigorous space science with the boundless imagination of science fiction to explore solutions to our planet’s greatest challenges. Aphelion captures that spirit – where research meets imaginative vision – to inspire the next generation to carry Europe’s space ambition into the future.”
A release window for 2026 has been set for Aphelion as it aims for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Stay tuned to Monstervine.com for ongoing coverage of DON’T NOD and Aphelion. We probably won’t be covering general ESA news.
